Joseph Gordon-Levitt in contention for Marvel’s ‘Guardians Of The Galaxy’

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is reportedly in contention to star in Marvel’s new superhero movie Guardians Of The Galaxy.

The film is based on a 2008 comic book series of the same name, which centres on a team of superheroes tasked with protecting the solar system from an evil alien race. Marvel is hoping to turn Guardians Of The Galaxy into another The Avengers-style big screen franchise.

Back in September (2012), director James Gunnrevealed that he has signed up to helm the movie. Marvel has scheduled Guardians Of The Galaxy for an August 2014 opening but the film has no confirmed stars yet.

According to Deadline, Levitt has been added to the list of contenders to play a character called Peter Quill – the lead role. Other actors said to be in contention include Zero Dark Thirty‘s Joel Edgerton, Les Miserables star Eddie Redmayne and Jim Sturgess from Life Of Pi.

Meanwhile, Levitt was recently linked to another high-profile superhero role: Batman in Warner Bros’ new The Avengers-style ensemble piece Justice League. However, the actor’s representatives quickly denied the rumour.